Gusty north to east winds will continue through early Wednesday, strongest expected today and in the mountains. Dry conditions prevail with a gradual warming trend.
Discussion
North to east winds continue to gust across the Valley, but mainly over the mountains early this morning. Observations along the I-5 corridor in the Sacramento Valley are reporting gusts between 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph in the Delta. Meanwhile over the Sierra, winds are gusting between 50 and 65 mph (as of 2:30 AM).
Winds will continue to be gusty throughout the day today as an upper level trough continues to dig southward over the Great Basin, with upper level ridging over the Eastern Pacific. This pattern is responsible for creating a steep pressure gradient and thus the gusty north to east winds. The National Blend of Models (NBM) shows a 70-90% probability of wind gusts of 60 mph or greater over the higher peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
A Wind Advisory remains in effect for portions of the West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada, Western Plumas/Lassen Park, and Northeast Foothills including Highway 70/Jarbo Gap as well as the far western portion of the Southern Sacramento Valley, Carquinez Straight and Delta through Wednesday morning. The NBM shows a 50-80% probability of 40 mph wind gusts or greater from the north for portions of the western Sacramento Valley and Delta. These gusty winds can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. People in the mountains should use extra caution while driving, be alert during outdoor activities, and secure any loose outdoor objects such as holiday decorations.
Winds are then projected to diminish on Wednesday as the aforementioned low digs further south over Baja, California before ejecting eastward. Periodically breezy north to east flow will continue through the rest of the week as ridging amplifies over the Pacific Northwest resulting in steadily warming temperatures into the weekend.
Be sure to stay up to date with the latest forecast at weather.gov/sto!
Extended Discussion (Saturday through Tuesday)
EPAC upper ridging remains dominant synoptic feature over interior NorCal through the extended forecast. Gusty north to east wind continues over the weekend into early next week.
Above normal high temperatures expected with upper 50s to lower 60s in the Central Valley and 40s to 50s in the foothills and mountains.